New Light
by bubble12
Summary: Bella finds out something about Edward that she never expected. Set one year after Breaking Dawn, no Renesmee. ON HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

_What will happen when Bella finds out something about Edward that she never expected? What if he is not as perfect as she thinks he is? Bella did not give birth to Renesmee, but she will come into the story later on._

It has been a year since the Volturi came to make sure I was a vampire. I am happily being a part of the Cullen Family. Tonight, just like every other Friday night, we are having a movie night. I looked up at Edward, who was holding me tightly to his chest, tighter than he had used to, not that I'm complaining. I wasn't breakable anymore. He smiled down at me; his face told me he was completely content, like I was, sitting here with me in his arms, surrounded by our family.

However, his contentment didn't completely reach his eyes. I was used to this happening sometimes. He would get that look in his eyes like he was nervous. At first I ignored it, thinking it was nothing, but when it didn't go away, I asked him about it. At first he was surprised that I had noticed something he didn't know he was doing himself, but he just claimed that it was nothing to worry about, he was just thinking. I believed him.

I looked away, hoping he wouldn't read any suspicion in my eyes. I snuggled closer to his chest and tried to pay attention to the movie in front of us. I tried not to be suspicious, I really did trust him, it was only when I saw that look in his eyes did that ever changed. I couldn't help but wonder if he was as perfect as I always thought he was. _Stop it Bella. He is just as perfect. Stop making a deal out of nothing._

When the movie finished, we said our goodbyes and headed to our cottage. I absolutely adored our cottage, it was perfect. When I was a child I always wanted to live in a cottage in the woods like in the fairy tales but when I grew up I started to see sense and realised that the woods could be very dangerous, especially at night. I was so happy when I first saw the cottage because I knew that I had worried over nothing because I couldn't be physically harmed anymore. We got to live in a cottage, Edward as my prince charming.

As we approached the front door, Edward picked me up bridal style and carried me slowly inside. His lips fiercely moving with mine, his eyes burning with passion as we tumbled onto the bed. It was these moments that I really loved Edward so much, any walls that he put up around himself when others were around slipped away. Every move he made burned with passion and love, as did mine.

I could spend all of forever in the cottage, just the two of us. But I knew that it wasn't the right thing to do, we needed to keep a routine. Every morning I would go hunting with Edward because I was still getting over my newborn faze. Then we would head back to the main house and spend time with our family.

This morning the sun was just starting to rise, and that was our cue to leave the cottage.

"Come on, Edward." I say, pulling him up so we could go. I loved the fact that I was physically as strong as him now. We were equal now, partners.

"I love you, so much." He states before taking my hand and running with me into the forest.

We run north, keeping our senses open for any food that may come by. I hear the steady thump-thump of some deer and run towards them, venom pooling in my mouth. Edward didn't hunt as much as I did, and he had hunted yesterday, so it was only me today.

My feet barely making a whisper of a sound as I pushed my muscles to go faster towards the food. My throat is extremely dry at the thought of their delicious blood. I spring at the biggest deer, flattening it to the ground. I sink my teeth into its neck, the blood pulsing down my throat, and growled softly in content. The fire in my throat temporarily gone, I left the deer and walked towards Edward, who was watching me hunt. I could tell that he was still trying to get over his protectiveness that he had to have when I was human. Silly boy.

"Still can't handle me facing against a wild animal?" I walk up to him and cross my arms.  
"I'm sorry but I can't help it, Love." He looked at me with so much adoration that I couldn't control my instinct to jump into his arms. I wrap my legs around his waist and crush myself to him. He wraps his arms around me and holds me up. He gently kisses my lips.

"And I love that about you." I reply before getting down. I take his hand and run to the house.

When we reach the house, I can hear Jasper and Emmett talking about something in whispered tones. It sounds serious, which is weird for them. I strain my ears to hear more, and hear them saying something about Edward.

"It's so weird though, Edward actually following through on the promises he made to his girl."

"It was bound to happen sometime, mate. He wasn't going to play with them forever."

I look over at him, and he can tell that I heard what they said. I raise an eyebrow at his guilty expression. Since when did he 'play' with his girls? He had always told me I was his first. And I believed him.

"I can explain – I – I was going to tell you about that today actually.." He stutters, walking towards me.

I back away, and acting on pure instinct, I flee. He lied to me.


	2. Chapter 2

_Previously:_

_When we reach the house, I can hear Jasper and Emmett talking about something in whispered tones. It sounds serious, which is weird for them. I strain my ears to hear more, and hear them saying something about Edward._

_"It's so weird though, Edward actually following through on the promises he made to his girl."_

_"It was bound to happen sometime, mate. He wasn't going to play with them forever."_

_I look over at him, and he can tell that I heard what they said. I raise an eyebrow at his guilty expression. Since when did he 'play' with his girls? He had always told me I was his first. And I believed him._

_"I can explain – I – I was going to tell you about that today actually..." He stutters, walking towards me._

_I back away, and acting on pure instinct, I flee. He lied to me._

**Chapter 2**

I can hear him chasing after me, but I don't slow down. I know that he will catch me eventually, even with my newborn strength, but I just need some time to think. From what I heard, he used to treat girls like trash, and that really bugs me. I know that he has been nothing but great to me ever since I met him and that he's probably changed since then, but that doesn't explain why he would keep something so big from me. I mean, we're married for crying out loud!

He's almost caught up to me, so I slow down and turn towards him. He stops short in front of me.

"I can explain," He starts, but I don't want to hear it. I just need a break from it all.

"Please, just give me some space, Edward. I just need some time to think." I plead, hoping he will take the hint and leave me alone.

"I'll give you some space, just please know that I've changed for you. I'm not that person anymore." He's looking at me with so much remorse, that it takes a lot of willpower to keep my resolve.

"Thank you," I reply before turning again and continuing running.

I don't know how long I have run for, just clearing my head. I don't want to think too much, and face what I have learnt. But the more I think about it, the more I just get angry. He has no right to keep something like this from me. I want answers. I want to know why he did what he used to do, I want to know if he ever tried to do it to me, and I want to know why he kept it from me for so long.

Running back the way I came from, it takes about an hour of following my scent to get back to the house. When it comes into view, I run up the steps and through the front door. I look around the living room and spot Edward looking at me from next to the window.

Alice is sitting on the couch, looking at me. She immediately hops up and skips over to me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I say forcefully to Edward who was still watching me. He's about to reply, but Alice stops him.

She's looking at me with those darn puppy dog eyes. "It was the best way for you to find out," She explains. "I'm sorry that you have to deal with this. I know it must be hard." She gives me a sympathetic hug before sitting down again next to Jasper.

Jasper looks at me apologetically. "I am really sorry, Bella. You guys usually come back to the house later than that. If we knew you were coming we would have spoken a lot quieter." He said apologetically. "It doesn't help that this pixie over here didn't warn me." He looks over at her adoringly, before turning back to me.

"You have nothing to apologise for," I say to Jasper before pointedly looking at Edward. He cowers a bit under my glare.

Esme and Carlisle come into the room, looking for me. Esme walks over to me, "I'm sorry for the grief that Edward has brought to you," she puts her arm around my waist. "We have been trying to convince him to tell you for a while now, but you two were so happy that we didn't want to ruin it by telling you ourselves."

"I'm really sorry Bella," Carlisle says simply, as Esme releases me and goes back to stand next to her husband. I thank them before looking again at Edward. He hasn't moved much since I came into the room.

I walk over to him and grab his arm, pulling him up to his old room with me. He doesn't fight me at all, coming willingly.

"Listen Edward," I say after I shut the door and sit next to him on the couch, keeping a bit of distance between us. "We need to talk."

**AN. I hope you like it! Please review if you have any suggestions or constructive criticism? I am always open to new ideas and opinions. :) **


	3. Chapter 3

_Previously:_

_I walk over to him and grab his arm, pulling him up to his old room with me. He doesn't fight me at all, coming willingly._

_"Listen Edward," I say after I shut the door and sit down next to him on the couch, keeping a bit of distance between us. "We need to talk."_

**Chapter 3**

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked Edward softly, hoping that my minimal patience will last.

"Bella, when I realized that I liked you more than I liked any of the other unimportant girls and that I wanted to be with you longer, I convinced myself that it would be better for you if I left. Once I had left, I knew for sure that I loved you." He said slowly, obviously choosing his words carefully. He didn't move any closer or force me to touch him, which I was thankful for.

"So you didn't think you loved me before?"

"I knew I liked you very much, and that I wanted you to like me. I acted to you how I acted around the other girls because I really wanted to impress you. The other girls were just a game to me, a form of entertainment, but you were something more than that. I just didn't know what yet."

"That doesn't explain to me why you didn't tell me." I said, trying to comprehend what he was saying.

"I was getting to that," he explained. "So, once I realized that I loved you, I tried to convince myself that staying away from you would be the best option. When I heard that you had died, I felt like a part of me had died along with you. I also felt guilty because I thought that my charming you and being selfish by doing so may have led to your death."

"So you tried to kill yourself because you loved me, AND because you felt guilty?!" I said slowly getting louder and standing up. He had always told me that it was because he couldn't live without me. I had thought that it was probably guilt that led him to try and commit suicide, but then he told me that it was because he loved me.

"I thought that if I hadn't tried to charm you that you wouldn't have killed yourself! Even if I didn't feel guilty, I still wouldn't have been able to live without you." He tried to reach for me, but I moved away. I eventually sat back down again next to him, still keeping some distance between us.

"Okay. Keep going." I said once I was sure that I had calmed down.

"So, I felt like I couldn't live without you but I also felt a bit guilty and responsible for what I thought happened. I hadn't told you before about the other girls because I thought that you wouldn't like me if you did, and I was trying really hard to impress you. After you saved me, I was so relieved and happy, that I didn't want to drive you away from me so soon." As he spoke, he looked at me so intensely, hoping that I will believe him.

"That's when I heard about Victoria, and that she was after you, and I knew that I couldn't burden you with the news while that was happening. Then I got so caught up in trying to convince you to marry me that it slipped my mind. When you agreed to marry me, I didn't want to tell you until after the wedding because you were already stressed enough about that." He reached out to take my hand, and I reluctantly let him. He held it in his lap and rubbed soothing circles on it with his thumb.

"After the wedding, I guess that I was just trying to find the right time to tell you. I was scared of your reaction and I was too happy with how things turned out to want to risk losing that. I realized that I should have told you way before I left and just gotten it over and done with, but it was too late."

"I think I understand why you didn't tell me, but I'm curious, what exactly did you do with the other girls that you were so scared of telling me?" I turned in my seat so I was facing him more and gestured for him to explain.

"Like I said before," he explained, "it was a game for me. I would try finding a quiet or shy girl and try to get them to trust me. I would become friends with them, and then I would ask them out. If they agreed, I would take them to a restaurant or the movies. While we were there, I would tell them that if they wanted to be with me, that they needed to know what they were agreeing to. If they weren't thinking of telling anyone, I would tell them I was a vampire, if they were thinking of telling someone than I would make something up instead. I had to be careful about telling you that I was a vampire because I couldn't know for sure that you weren't going to tell anyone. I felt that I could trust you though so I did."

"What did you do after that?" I wondered what he did with those girls after he told them what he was, before he moved on to the next one.

"Well, I would just be in a relationship with them until we had to move. Then I would tell them that I wished we could stay together, but I had to leave and after that it would be like we disappeared off the face of the Earth. They would not have any reminders because I would get rid of them all. The relationship was pretty much hanging out at school and going on occasional dates. I have never done more than kiss any of them."

"What did your family think of all this?"

"Esme and Carlisle were a bit disappointed with me, but they didn't mind too much because they realized how lonely I was being the only one without a mate. Alice, Jasper and Emmett thought that it was a bit rude, but they found the reactions from the girls funny so they didn't say anything. Rosalie hated me for it. It's one of the reasons why she is so hostile to you, because she decided long ago that she found all those human girls to be very gullible and annoying.

"I really am sorry that I didn't tell you all this before.'' He said, pleading for me to forgive him.

"I appreciate you explaining all this to me, and I believe that that is what you did. But I still find it difficult completely trusting you. You kept something that huge from me all through our relationship AND for a year after we got married! And even then you didn't actually tell me." I got steadily angrier when explaining this to him, but in a calmer voice, I said, "I wouldn't have judged you too hard on what you did in the past if you had just told me. I understand that you have changed and you aren't that person anymore, but that doesn't give you the right to keep something like this from me for so long." I stood up and walked towards the door.

"Please, Bella. Forgive me!" He pleaded, coming over to me and embracing me.

I stayed in his embrace for a little while longer, before pulling away. "I just need some more time, to think about everything. Please let me go."

"As you wish," he managed to get out. He looked so heartbroken standing there before me that I couldn't resist giving him a kiss on the forehead.

"I still love you, this doesn't change that, but I just need a break. Goodbye Edward." I said before stepping outside of his room and closing the door behind me.

**A.N: I hope that you guys can understand what I was trying to say. It was hard to make sure that their reactions were what I thought were true to their character. Please let me know what you think or if there are any mistakes with anything and I will change them! [Hint: I love constructive criticism ;) ]**


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N: I just wanted to clarify a few things that some people were asking about the story:**

**Avery: Renesmee may come into the story later on, but she isn't in it so far.**

**Poppie: I had forgotten about the Volturi! Well, when he tried to commit suicide, instead of exposing himself, he was going to let Aro read his mind, but Bella stopped him. They would have definitely killed him if they read those thoughts. If the Volturi hear his thoughts later on though saying that he has changed, and that the people he told have died since then, then he won't get killed. **

**Thankyou everyone for your reviews! They made my day and made me want to write more!**

**I will try to update this story every few days. :) **

_Previously:_

_"I still love you, this doesn't change that, but I just need a break. Goodbye Edward." I said before stepping outside of his room and closing the door behind me._

**Chapter 4**

I walk down the stairs to the living room. The whole family was there, looking at me sadly. They had heard everything.

I just stood there, not sure what to say. Alice stood up and skipped towards me. She pulled me into a hug and whispered into my ear, "I'm sorry."

I whispered back, "Thank you."

When she pulled away, she said loud enough for everyone to hear, "We were all wondering, Bella, if you wanted to come with me and Jasper for a little while? We were planning on going away for a little while anyways." That sounded nice. A little while away with my best friend, and it gave me some time to think about everything that had happened and what my next move would be.

"That actually sounds great right now Alice, when would we be going?"

"How about later today?"

"Can you get tickets that fast?"

**"**Well, I sort of already bought them." She looked at me sheepishly.

"Of course you did." I said. "Where are we going?"

"First we are going to Australia if that is ok with you, then we can decide from there."

"That sounds good; I'm going to go pack."

I took off towards our cottage. I knew that Edward was still in his old room, so there was no chance of me running into him. I walk into our bedroom, ignoring all the memories that are trying to resurface, and started packing a bag.

Once I was finished, I ran back to the house and put my bags inside the front door. Apparently Edward had heard me come in, because he was coming down the stairs. I heard the front door open again behind me and when I turned around, I saw Alice and Jasper coming in. Jasper wordlessly picked up my bags and brought them outside.

"We already have our bags in the car." Alice explained to me.

"Are we going now?" I hoped that my voice didn't sound as hopeful as I felt. I really think I need this vacation.

"Yes, the plane is leaving in a few hours." I could sense Edward behind me, so I said goodbye to the rest of the family first.

I slowly turned around; ready to have to deal with him disagreeing with the trip. I didn't have to wait long.

"Please stay with me Bella," He pleaded, "We can work this out."

"I know that we can," I reached out and grabbed his hand. "But we will have time for that after. Goodbye." I whispered. He bent down and kissed me on the cheek before nodding and letting go of my hand.

I turned around, and headed out the door, without looking back.

The car ride from Forks to Port Angeles wasn't as tense as I had thought it would be. Whether that had anything to do with Jasper, I didn't know. We laughed and chatted the whole way there. It felt nice.

When we reached the airport, we first put our luggage onto the plane. Alice, being Alice, has a full carry-on bag for the plane, full with things that she couldn't fit into her suitcase. She hadn't complained about my packing before, because she knew that we would be shopping there anyway. Jasper doesn't have a carry-on. I just brought a small messenger bag with a new book in it.

After boarding the plane to Seattle, I spent an hour reading the book that I brought as fast as I could that would still look human. Unfortunately, the slow pace meant that I had too much time to think. I thought about what Edward had said. I thought about the fact that he said he had changed. I thought about the betrayal I have felt since I first found out. I also thought about the years that I have spent with Edward. He had never done anything wrong, other than leaving me. I had always thought that his actions and intentions were pure, but now I am not so sure. I knew we still had a lot to discuss, but I hopefully had a little while before I had to worry about that.

When we got off the plane, I was pleased that I had not thought about blood the whole trip, even if my mind had been otherwise occupied. As I was still only a year old, it was great progress to be able to sit in a plane packed full of humans for so long without losing the control that I had worked so hard to get.

This time, we had to go through customs before heading to Darwin in Northern Territory, Australia. It was supposed to be one of the wettest cities in Australia, but it was also a big enough city to keep Alice's shopping cravings satisfied. We were staying in the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

While we were waiting for the next flight to be called, I went to one of the over-expensive bookstores that airports always have and bought a couple more books for the next flight which Alice told me would be longer. Last time she had told me how long the flight would be, when we were saving Edward, and we realised that it would have been better with me not knowing. It makes the flight seem to take so much longer than it should.

It _was_ long.

After we reached Darwin, it dawned on me that I was on the other side of the planet. I have never left the U.S. before. It was exciting! Jasper, sensing the excitement, grinned at me.

The drive to the hotel from the airport didn't take long. When we got there, after putting our bags in our rooms, Alice all but dragged me out to go to the Shops down the street.

We had been to a few shops by now, when I saw someone that I hadn't seen once since I was changed, who has refused to see me. Someone who couldn't seem to accept my decision.

"Jake?"

**A.N: I hope you like it! I was just wondering if you guys want me to keep adding a '**_previously'_** to every chapter? I like it when stories have that if I am not reading the whole story at once. Let me know? Also, do you have any suggestions for the story or constructive criticism? :)**


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